Construction, Cost, Repair, and Management. 391 
mating the special expenditure on improvements, (Sec, is as 
lollows : — 
Highways, 
per cent. 
Highway 
Districts, 
per cent. 
Turnpikes, 
per ceiita 
36 
42 
36 
25 
16 
14 
27 
24 
25 
3 
9 
13 
Nearly the same proportions hold in the 1873 return for the 
liighwajs and turnpikes, the alteration being an increase in the 
c ost of materials and a decrease in carting. 
Construction. 
I Having thus given a general outline of the history and 
present condition of the roads, it will be desirable in the next 
place to treat of the method of their construction. 
The plan pursued by Telford, the greatest road-engineer of 
the present century, in the construction of his roads, was first to 
level and drain the bed, then to lay upon it a solid pavement of 
large stones, and on this a layer of stones carefully broken, and 
i over all a little gravel, or other fine material. This was the plan 
i pursued in the Highlands. But where much and heavy traffic was 
to be provided for, a more thorough and careful system was pur- 
sued, which may be best illustrated from Telford's specification 
for the Carlisle and Glasgow road. The middle portion of the 
road was rendered as firm and substantial as possible by first 
forming a paving of large stones, taking the best the neighbour- 
hood afforded, whether sandstone, limestone, or whinstone, and 
having them all carefully laid by hand on a bed formed to the 
proper contour of the road, and previously well provided with 
drainage. All the inequalities were broken off the tops of these 
stones, and the cavities filled in. The size of the stones was 
about 7 in. X 3 in., and they were all cross-bonded. Over this 
paving was placed a layer of whinstone 7 inches in thickness, 
all properly broken ; so that no stone should exceed 6 ounces in 
I weight, and that each should be able to pass through a circular 
' ring 2^ inches in diameter. This layer was again covered with 
a binding gravel, sufficient to fill up the cavities between the 
broken stones. Great attention was paid to this road until it 
I became thoroughly solidified, and then it stood without repair 
for many years, one of these roads requiiing nothing to be 
2 D 2 
II 
